Apparatus foe manufacturing gas



UNrTnD 1 ST TES P TE T O FICE;

BURHANS vnnsrnnnnnnen, or eosnnn, NEW roan.

APPARATUS FOR 'MANUFACTU RING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 294,534, dated March 4,1884. I I Application filed OctobcrQB, 1883. (No model.) 1

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BURHANS VAN STEEN- BERGH, of Goshen, in the countyof Orange and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Gas; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, which will enable others skilled in the art to whichitappertains to make and use the same, refer ence being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for manufacturingheating or illuminating gas; and the object of the invention is toprovide a readily portable apparatus, which shall be simple inconstruction and convenient of operation, and which may be transportedin sections and quickly set up, for making gas on a comparatively smallscale. The apparatus, by its construction, however, is adaptedtogenerate gas quite rapidly and in large vol-. Gas is made ume ascompared with itssize. by the decomposition of steam and a hydrocarbonoil in contact with anthracite coal or coke or-other suitable materialin heated re,- torts and fixing the gas in a separate heated retort. v

The construction of the apparatus is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal sec tionof the apparatus. Fig. 2 represents a h orizontal section just above thelower tier of retorts. Fig. 3 represents a vertical cross-section.

The retort-furnace A has its walls built up of ordinary brick, linedinternally with fireclay tiles or slabs, and covered externally with ajacket of plate-iron, cast or rolled. The sides of the furnace arepreferably made in sections, which are bolted together when the furnaceis set up, and they are of such dimensions that they may be convenientlypacked and transported, and so that any oneimay be readily detached fromthe wall, in order to admit workmen to repair the inside of the furnaceor to remove and replace any defective or worn part or section of thegenerating-retorts.

The usual grate, 13, supported at its ends uponledges or lugs, isprovided, separating .the ash-pit from the fuel and retort chamber 0,and in the front wall are doors I) I), opening, respectively, into thefuel-chamber and the ash pit. A partition of fire-clay tiles, D,separates chamber 0 from the upper chamber, F, and such partition isprovided at the rear end of the furnace with two openings, (1 d, whichmay be partially or entirely closed by dampers ac, the rodsor handles ofwhich should pass out through the wall of the furnace. In the rear wallis builta deflectingbridge, E, projecting into chamber 0, above theretort-s, for causing reverberation of the flame and heated productsover the tops ofthe retorts, and thereby better-heating them. The top orcrown of the furnace is constructed of inclined fire-clay slabs or tilesA A and the horizontal central tile, A. The inclined tile A throws thehot products of combustion against the sides of the retort, and thusuni-.

formly heat it and economize the heat in the most advantageous manner. Achimney, I, for the escape of products of combustion, and having aregulating-damper, i, rises from the top of thefurnace, near the frontend thereof, so that the hot products are compelled to pass the wholelength of chamber F and impart their heat to the fixing-retort.

I The decomposing retorts or conduits H are composed of numerousstraight sections, extending transversely across the chamber 0 throughwalls, and are connected together out side of the walls by' return-bendsh. The straight sections and bends are provided with flanges, which aretightly secured together by bolts or screws, so that the return-bendsmay be readily removed for charging the retorts with coal or othermaterial and cleaning them out when necessary. At the farther end of theseries of retorts, near the rear of the furnace, a pipe, K, connectsthem with a fixingretort, L, in chamber F. vided with the usualmouth-piece, L, having a This retort is proi tight-fitting lid, and apipe, t, is-provided for I conducting gas to the hydraulic seal orwashbox, or to any place of storage or use. A steam-supply pipe, 11.,connects with the: re-- turn -bend uniting the second and third retort,and an oil-supply pipe connects with the first retort. In makingilluminating-gas, naphtha IOO a fire is kindled on the grate andmaintained as long as the production of gas is continued, and theretorts and contained coal or coke are first raised to or about anincandescent, heat. Then steam, preferably in a superheated state,

' is admitted into the retorts and decomposed retorts H.

by contact with incandescent or highly-heated carbon, forming hydrogenand carbonic oxide. Hydrocarbon oil is also admitted and converted bythe heat into rich earbureted-hydrogen gas, which serves to carburet orenrich the hydrogen and carbonic oxide resulting from the decomposedsteam, and thus form an illuminating-gas. The gases from the decomposedsteam and that from the oil are conducted into the fixing-rctort L,where they are com bined and converted into a fixed illuminatinggas ofhigh candle-power. Should it be found that the heat is too high forsafely and economically admitting hydrocarbon oil into the retorts H, itmay be admitted into ascending pipe K, and there be vaporized by thehotgas, passing to retort L; or the oil may be admitted into retort L nearthe inlet for the gas from The gas, on leaving the fixing-retort, may bewashed with water and purified by lime in the usual manner, though formany 40 purposes little or no purification will be re quired. Brokenbrick or pumice-stone may be charged into the retorts,vfor affording alarge heating-surface, instead of coal or coke, and gas be made fromsteam and oil only.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

1.'The retort-furnace having a deflectingbridge projecting from its rearwall, in combination with the connected series of retorts arranged asand for the purpose described.

2. The retort-furnace having the deflectingbridge projecting from an endwall, and also having a horizontal partition provided with openings atone end, dividing the furnace into two chambers, in combination with theretorts, arranged as described.

3. The horizontal series of retorls extending transversely across thefurnace,and connected outside the walls by return-bends, and havingsupplypipes for steam and oil connected with one or more of the retorts,in combination with the fixing-retort, a connecting-pipe, and thehorizontal partition, having passages and separating the first series ofretorts from the fixing-retort, for the purpose described.

4. The furnace A, constructed with deflect ing-bridge E, partition D,having openings d at one end, the chimney I at the opposite end of thefurnace, and with slanting crown-plates A, in combination with theconnected generating-retorts H and the fixing-retort L, as and for thepurpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aiiix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

BUR-HANS VAN STEENBERGH. \Vi tnesses:

O. E. DUFFY, M. P. CALLAX.

